a mushroom pie for warmth

there's nothing quite like pie to warm the cockles. i have extolled the virtues of pie in a previous post on goat's cheese and tomato tart but with the recent drenching weather in nairobi, it was time to settle into some cold weather comfort food. fortunately there are no beach trips planned anytime soon, as pie is not conducive to a bikini bod.

this mushroom pie is based on a mushroom tarte tatin recipe but instead of turning it out so that the pastry acts almost as a plate, with the mushroom mixture on top, I decided this was worthy of a good covering, and besides, having put some effort into making my pastry topping pretty, I couldn't bear to turn it upside down!

Turn on the oven to 180C. Peel and quarter your onions, leaving the root on, which will hold them together in the cooking process. Put a large heavy based frying pan on a medium heat, add a few lugs of olive oil and add your onions. Cook slowly, don't burn, and when they are golden and soft, add your mushrooms, thyme, sugar and a pinch of salt. Cook for a further ten - twenty minutes - slowly - and then add your walnuts.

Whilst your mushroom mixture gently cooks, work on your pastry. If you've bought the ready to roll puff pastry from the supermarket, remove it from the packet, onto a floury surface. Get your pin and flour it up before rolling the pastry out to the size you need. Put your mushroom mixture into an oven proof dish, and lay the puff pastry over the top. Trim the edges. If you want to make it rabbity or otherwise, as I did, then use the trimmings. Squash them together, but don't knead it too much, and then roll out again. I just used a sharp knife to cut out the shapes I wanted, and then placed them on top of the already laid pastry. Beat up a couple of eggs and brush them over the top for a nice glaze.

Place in the oven for 30 - 40 minutes, or until the pastry looks a lovely golden brown colour. Voila! Tuck in and don't think about the bikini bod. That can come later.